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27-11-2015, 07:11
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I’m starting to realise just how many series of posts I’ve left hanging, uncompleted. Time for some tidying up.
Only two posts away from the, er, finishing post on this one. Quickly rattle through this and I’m almost done. Almost.
The Which? report didn’t include a huge number of Strong Ales. Just five in total. But do you know the weird thing? I’ve brewing records for three of them: the two Younger’s beers and Final Selection. Though not for this exact year.
The one beer in the set that I’ve drunk, the legendary No. 3, is shockingly poor value. Especially if you compare it to Younger’s other Strong Ale. No. 1 (King of Ales) is just 2d more a pint, but around 50% stronger. I know which one I’d have been drinking.
Actually, that wasn’t quite right when I said No. 3 was the only one I’d drunk. Pretty Things brewed a very tasty version of Younger’s No. 1 based on the 1949 recipe. Really very nice. It was amusing too read geeks saying it was a typical Scotch Ale when the recipe bore no resemblance to the style guidelines. Not a single person spotted the secret ingredient: lactose.
I’m surprised at the relatively low level of bitterness. Especially in Final Selection as I know that it contained more the 2lbs of hops per barrel. Double the amount in King of Ales and triple the amount in No. 3.
Once again, I didn’t have enough examples from 1960 in my collection so have also used ones from 1959 and 1961. I hope you don’t mind.
As you can see, they’re all over the place in terms of strength. From the sublime Royal Toby to the ridiculous Hancock’s Strong Ale. Clearly Strong Ale was a pretty vague concept and being strong wasn’t an essential requirement.
Colour is also hugely variable, from the shade of a pale Bitter (Treble Gold) to near-black (King & Barnes Strong Ale). With most of the colours between those two extremes also represented. Though the average of just over 80 is about the shade I would expect a Strong Ale to be – dark brown.
Mansfield’s Golden Drop is spectacularly poor value – around a third more expensive than the average. While Stroud’s Charter Brew manages to be almost as cheap as Treble Gold, the only draught beer in the set. The very high degree of attenuation helps.
Strong Ale in 1960
Brewer
Beer
Price per pint d
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
Index of Hop Bitter
price per % ABV
John Smiths
Magnet Old Ale
28
1070.2
1021.7
6.30
69.09%
43
4.45
Younger, Wm.
Younger's King of Ales
32
1065.9
1019
6.10
71.17%
25
5.25
Thwaites
Old Dan
35
1074.6
1016.5
7.60
77.88%
30
4.61
Whitbread
Final Selection Extra Strong Ale
36
1077.7
1013.7
8.40
82.37%
34
4.28
Younger, Wm.
Younger's No. 3 Scotch Ale
30
1046.2
1013.05
4.30
71.75%
25
6.98
Average
32.2
1066.9
1016.8
6.54
74.45%
31.4
5.11
Source:
Which Beer Report, 1960, pages 171 - 173.
Strong Ale 1959 - 1961
Date
Beer
Price per pint d
OG
FG
ABV
App. Attenu-ation
colour
price per % ABV
Adnams
Fisherman Strong Ale
28.5
1044.3
1014.3
3.88
67.72%
115
7.34
Bentleys
Old Timothy
45
1074.5
1015.1
7.43
79.73%
65
6.06
Charrington
Royal Toby
1077.8
1018.9
7.70
75.71%
45
Eldridge Pope
Dorset Special Ale
1076.1
1019.9
7.33
73.85%
90
John Groves
Stingo
1062.4
1009.5
6.93
84.78%
125
King & Barnes
Golding Ale
1070.4
1017.1
6.95
75.71%
50
King & Barnes
Strong Ale
1044
1011.8
4.18
73.18%
130
Lees
Strong Ale
1070.0
Mansfield Brewery
Golden Drop
54
1055.4
1014.9
5.06
73.10%
80
10.67
Meux
Treble Gold (draught)
20
1042.7
1010.4
4.19
75.64%
21
4.77
Peter Walker
Merrie England Strong Ale
51
1073.8
1023.2
6.32
68.56%
75
8.06
Ramsdens
??? Strong Ale
40
1064.8
1018.1
6.07
72.07%
70
6.59
Strong
Strong 'un
1040.3
1010.2
3.91
74.69%
100
Stroud Brewery Co
Charter Brew
37
1058.5
1006.3
6.85
89.23%
65
5.40
Whitakers
Ramtam Strong Ale
54
1070.6
1024.8
5.93
64.87%
70
9.10
Whitakers
Strong Shire Ale
24
1042.2
1017
3.25
59.72%
70
7.38
Greene King
Suffolk Ale
51
1056.8
1015.7
5.14
72.36%
70
9.93
Hancock, Cardiff
Strong Ale
1030
Lees
Strong Ale
1070.0
St. Austell Brewery
Smugglers Ale
45
1068
1019.6
6.05
71.18%
100
7.44
Watney
Burton Ale
32
1053.6
1019.7
4.38
63.25%
125
7.31
Lees
Strong Ale
1076.0
Offilers, Derby
Derby Strong
34
1045.4
1013.6
3.98
70.04%
75
8.55
Average
39.7
1059.5
1015.8
5.55
72.92%
81.1
7.58
Source:
“Cardiff Pubs and Breweries” by Brian Glover, 2005. pages 97-101
Lees brewing records
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
We’ll be finishing with Lagers in the final instalment.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2015/11/strong-ale-in-1960.html)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KY5Nm9s8g6M/VlSBZFr3V6I/AAAAAAAAYuw/NShD9rIC5UA/s400/Whitbread_Final_Selection_2.jpg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KY5Nm9s8g6M/VlSBZFr3V6I/AAAAAAAAYuw/NShD9rIC5UA/s1600/Whitbread_Final_Selection_2.jpg)
I’m starting to realise just how many series of posts I’ve left hanging, uncompleted. Time for some tidying up.
Only two posts away from the, er, finishing post on this one. Quickly rattle through this and I’m almost done. Almost.
The Which? report didn’t include a huge number of Strong Ales. Just five in total. But do you know the weird thing? I’ve brewing records for three of them: the two Younger’s beers and Final Selection. Though not for this exact year.
The one beer in the set that I’ve drunk, the legendary No. 3, is shockingly poor value. Especially if you compare it to Younger’s other Strong Ale. No. 1 (King of Ales) is just 2d more a pint, but around 50% stronger. I know which one I’d have been drinking.
Actually, that wasn’t quite right when I said No. 3 was the only one I’d drunk. Pretty Things brewed a very tasty version of Younger’s No. 1 based on the 1949 recipe. Really very nice. It was amusing too read geeks saying it was a typical Scotch Ale when the recipe bore no resemblance to the style guidelines. Not a single person spotted the secret ingredient: lactose.
I’m surprised at the relatively low level of bitterness. Especially in Final Selection as I know that it contained more the 2lbs of hops per barrel. Double the amount in King of Ales and triple the amount in No. 3.
Once again, I didn’t have enough examples from 1960 in my collection so have also used ones from 1959 and 1961. I hope you don’t mind.
As you can see, they’re all over the place in terms of strength. From the sublime Royal Toby to the ridiculous Hancock’s Strong Ale. Clearly Strong Ale was a pretty vague concept and being strong wasn’t an essential requirement.
Colour is also hugely variable, from the shade of a pale Bitter (Treble Gold) to near-black (King & Barnes Strong Ale). With most of the colours between those two extremes also represented. Though the average of just over 80 is about the shade I would expect a Strong Ale to be – dark brown.
Mansfield’s Golden Drop is spectacularly poor value – around a third more expensive than the average. While Stroud’s Charter Brew manages to be almost as cheap as Treble Gold, the only draught beer in the set. The very high degree of attenuation helps.
Strong Ale in 1960
Brewer
Beer
Price per pint d
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
Index of Hop Bitter
price per % ABV
John Smiths
Magnet Old Ale
28
1070.2
1021.7
6.30
69.09%
43
4.45
Younger, Wm.
Younger's King of Ales
32
1065.9
1019
6.10
71.17%
25
5.25
Thwaites
Old Dan
35
1074.6
1016.5
7.60
77.88%
30
4.61
Whitbread
Final Selection Extra Strong Ale
36
1077.7
1013.7
8.40
82.37%
34
4.28
Younger, Wm.
Younger's No. 3 Scotch Ale
30
1046.2
1013.05
4.30
71.75%
25
6.98
Average
32.2
1066.9
1016.8
6.54
74.45%
31.4
5.11
Source:
Which Beer Report, 1960, pages 171 - 173.
Strong Ale 1959 - 1961
Date
Beer
Price per pint d
OG
FG
ABV
App. Attenu-ation
colour
price per % ABV
Adnams
Fisherman Strong Ale
28.5
1044.3
1014.3
3.88
67.72%
115
7.34
Bentleys
Old Timothy
45
1074.5
1015.1
7.43
79.73%
65
6.06
Charrington
Royal Toby
1077.8
1018.9
7.70
75.71%
45
Eldridge Pope
Dorset Special Ale
1076.1
1019.9
7.33
73.85%
90
John Groves
Stingo
1062.4
1009.5
6.93
84.78%
125
King & Barnes
Golding Ale
1070.4
1017.1
6.95
75.71%
50
King & Barnes
Strong Ale
1044
1011.8
4.18
73.18%
130
Lees
Strong Ale
1070.0
Mansfield Brewery
Golden Drop
54
1055.4
1014.9
5.06
73.10%
80
10.67
Meux
Treble Gold (draught)
20
1042.7
1010.4
4.19
75.64%
21
4.77
Peter Walker
Merrie England Strong Ale
51
1073.8
1023.2
6.32
68.56%
75
8.06
Ramsdens
??? Strong Ale
40
1064.8
1018.1
6.07
72.07%
70
6.59
Strong
Strong 'un
1040.3
1010.2
3.91
74.69%
100
Stroud Brewery Co
Charter Brew
37
1058.5
1006.3
6.85
89.23%
65
5.40
Whitakers
Ramtam Strong Ale
54
1070.6
1024.8
5.93
64.87%
70
9.10
Whitakers
Strong Shire Ale
24
1042.2
1017
3.25
59.72%
70
7.38
Greene King
Suffolk Ale
51
1056.8
1015.7
5.14
72.36%
70
9.93
Hancock, Cardiff
Strong Ale
1030
Lees
Strong Ale
1070.0
St. Austell Brewery
Smugglers Ale
45
1068
1019.6
6.05
71.18%
100
7.44
Watney
Burton Ale
32
1053.6
1019.7
4.38
63.25%
125
7.31
Lees
Strong Ale
1076.0
Offilers, Derby
Derby Strong
34
1045.4
1013.6
3.98
70.04%
75
8.55
Average
39.7
1059.5
1015.8
5.55
72.92%
81.1
7.58
Source:
“Cardiff Pubs and Breweries” by Brian Glover, 2005. pages 97-101
Lees brewing records
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
We’ll be finishing with Lagers in the final instalment.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2015/11/strong-ale-in-1960.html)